


The White Moon Effect

by Iionala



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: F/M, Magical Girls, Non-Canon Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iionala/pseuds/Iionala
Summary: "Sailor Moon, your power brings chaos. As long as you exist, there will never be an end to the bloodshed!"In a world full of Heroes, the Hero Pubic Safety Commission has more important things to worry about than a group calling themselves the Sailor Senshi. As long as they're useful and stay out of the spotlight, the Commission is willing to let them do their work in Jūban without interfering (much).Until Mugen Academy is destroyed, that is.Now, purportedly for her own safety, Tsukino Usagi is moved to Musutafu so she can attend U.A. under the watchful eye of All Might. The Commission hopes that she'll blend in quietly and stop causing trouble before more dramatic action is required.They didn't realize that relocating the moon would simply draw more people into her gravity.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usagi-chan is my favorite character ever, and this is an excuse to have her play with some other favorites. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ

Like most Heroes, Toshinori Yagi knew the dangers of making plans.

No matter how carefully they were laid out, villains always appeared and screwed them up. They crashed weddings and ruined the cake, they robbed stores during grand openings, and they endangered the reputation of Japan’s legendary train system by stalling traffic. The injustices perpetrated by villains could not be overstated.

He’d spent a long time learning this as All Might, but this year…! This year was going to be different!

It wasn’t blind optimism, either, no matter what Aizawa would say if he knew. So many things were looking up: he’d gained a renewed sense of his ideals after fighting the sludge villain months ago, he’d found a successor for One for All in young Midoriya, and he even had a teaching job at U.A. lined up. Sure, he’d never taught a class in his life and the prospect of it terrified him slightly, what with the education of dozens of students riding on his skills, but he’d get to engage in office politics and water cooler talk.

Just thinking about it - the successor part, not necessarily the water cooler part - made him shake with excitement. So much potential stretched out ahead of them.

And then someone blew up Mugen Academy in Tokyo.

Dammit.

He swore again as he waited for Midoriya the next morning, although this time it was less about the fact that it happened and more that none of the online news reports were giving him any real information. No motive, no suspects, not even a clear idea of what exactly happened - it was the definition of frustrating. The only comfort lay in the current lack of reported casualties.

“All Might!”

He sputtered blood, frantically waving to hush Midoriya, who had arrived for their run to the beach (well, Midoriya’s morning run. Toshinori’s handy Segway waited nearby). “Quietly, quietly!” The streets were abandoned but, really, they had to nip this bad habit in the bud if they wanted to avoid suspicion. He’d kept his identity under wraps for years and if it had to be revealed he’d rather it was because of something more dramatic than a slip of the tongue.

Midoriya slapped his hands over his mouth. “Sorry!”

With a sigh, Toshinori wiped the blood off his chin. “Maybe I should find a way to include discretion in your training.” He softened his tone when Midoriya’s shoulders slumped. “I’m kidding, don’t worry about it. Once you get used to seeing me, I’m sure I’ll miss that enthusiasm.”

“I’ll never get used to seeing you, All Might.” Midoriya clenched his fists, eyes shining with so much fanboyism that the air around him sparkled. Neat. Toshinori was glad to see him back in good spirits so quickly. “You’re the legendary number one Hero! Even being in front of you right now is like a dream.”

“Dreaming about training would be pretty boring,” Toshinori said. “You’ll tire yourself out before we even start. Now, are you ready?”

“Yes! Wait, no! Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. Did you see the news yesterday?” Midoriya pulled his phone out and held it up to show an article with the headline _Devastating Attack on Mugen Academy_. When Toshinori nodded, he continued, “It happened in Sankakusu and that’s not far from Might Tower, right? Were you there?”

“That’s nearly three hundred kilometres away. Do you think I’d be able to get there in time to do something?”

“Of course!” Midoriya said immediately, and Toshinori activated his Quirk, throwing his head back to let out a hearty laugh.

“And you’d be right, hahaha!” He gave a thumbs up, returning the bright grin Midoriya gave him, only to flinch when a car honked in the distance. Right, they were supposed to be discreet, weren’t they? With a quick glance around to make sure they were still alone, he let his muscle form drop and his trench coat once again threatened to engulf him. “Come, we’ll talk while you run. We’re already slipping behind schedule.”

He climbed onto his Segway and began gliding away. Midoriya fumbled to put his phone up before falling into pace with him.

“You’re right; Mugen Academy wasn’t terribly far from the Tower.” He used _wasn’t_ because he’d seen with his own eyes that it no longer existed. Instead, the main buildings had been replaced with a huge, water-filled crater, and the surroundings reduced to rubble. Cleaning up would take weeks, even with the use of Quirks, and while Toshinori wasn’t the most intellectually minded person even he knew the Academy’s loss would be felt for some time. After all, it had gained a reputation for its brilliant, often wealthy students, both those with Quirks and without, and that combined with its proximity to his own residence had made him briefly consider searching it for a successor.

Of course, that had changed when he’d spoken with Principal Nezu and decided to go with his alma mater, and changed again once he’d met Midoriya. That he’d found the Academy students creepy each time he’d visited had nothing - well, almost nothing - to do with it.

“However, I was here in town and didn’t hear about what was happening until it’d started. By the time I got there, it was over. That’s something you’ll have to accept as a Hero - you’ll never be able to be everywhere and stop everything, no matter how fiercely you wish you could. You have to trust that other Heroes will do their part, and in this case, they did.”

If his lack of involvement disappointed Midoriya, it didn’t show. “But no one’s come forward to take credit yet.”

“No, they probably won’t. They’re not a group that flaunts their accomplishments very often.” Actually, given the amount of red tape surrounding them, Toshinori wasn’t sure if they were even allowed to publicly take credit.

“You’re talking like you know who they are,” Midoriya said.

“Hmm, of course. You haven’t figured it out yet?” Wait, this felt like one of those impromptu teaching moments his how-to books mentioned. Excited to practice his skills, he asked, “Consider this a test of your knowledge: given the location, which Heroes could have been involved in that incident?”

“A test from All Might himself!” Midoriya nearly tripped over his own feet in his excitement. “Um, um, let me think. If I had my notes but, no, that’s not the point, is it? Um, Sankakusu is in Tokyo, and you said it was a group, but there aren’t many teams operating and…”

He started muttering to himself, and that remained the only sound between them for the next few minutes as the town began to wake up properly. _Maybe this isn’t the fairest test,_ Toshinori thought, when the answer still didn’t come. Tokyo was some distance away and even more chock full of Heroes than Musutafu. Even Toshinori only knew them because, coincidentally, Minato-ku contained not only Roppongi with his Might Tower but Azabu-Jūban with—

“The Sailor Senshi!” Midoriya exclaimed so suddenly that Toshinori nearly bit his tongue in surprise. “It’s them, isn’t it? They’re close enough, they’re one of the only teams operating in Tokyo, and they’re known for never sticking around after a fight, which would explain why no one spotted them afterwards. Ah, but the amount of damage left behind is unusual for them, though, and the scale might be too big…”

“It is, but you’re right. They were there.” They’d been in rough shape when he’d spotted them, leaning on each other for support, and left the scene before emergency services arrived. “Honestly, I’m surprised you guessed it. I didn’t think they were well-known out here.”

“I-I don’t know how many other people know about them but of course I do! They’re Azabu-Jūban’s famous female superhero team, supposedly composed of some of the youngest Heroes in history, and no one knows who they are or even what their Quirks are.” Caught up in one of his favorite topics, Midoriya sped up. “There are a hundred rumors about whether they’re a real team or a tourism gimmick and why they’re not registered under any agency. I watch every video online about them.”

“You really are a fanboy,” Toshinori said, amused. “It doesn’t have anything to do with their costumes, does it?”

“Their costumes…!” This time, Midoriya did trip over his feet, and Toshinori rode his Segway in circles until he dragged himself back up. His face had gone completely red. “N-no, that has nothing to do with it! They’re the—the champions of love and justice!” He made a funny little movement with his arms like he was trying to replicate a pose then stopped himself, embarrassed. “I admire them.”

Toshinori waved a hand in a soothing gesture. “It’s a joke.”

“All Might,” Midoriya asked when he’d regain his steady pace and wasn’t bright red anymore, “have you met them?”

“A few times,” Toshinori admitted. Most of those meetings had been on accident but occasionally, when he’d been able to, he popped by to catch the end of a battle. The red tape situation mostly prevented him from interfering but he’d always been ready in case things got out of hand.

Civilians in danger didn’t care about that kind of bureaucracy, after all.

“You have?! What are they like? Are they really as young as people claim? They all seem to have Emitter-type Quirks but the way they manipulate them is a little different than what I’ve seen in other Heroes. Oh, and is it true that they can fly? I don’t believe that one but some people say…”

Midoriya’s questions all came out in a rush, tumbling over each other, and Toshinori briefly tuned him out in order to gather his thoughts. When he’d first run into the Senshi over a year ago they’d been a duo, unsure and in over their heads, and he’d warned them against playing Hero before the police considered them vigilantes. The situation in Jūban had only grown stranger from that first encounter, though, and more girls had shown up until it became apparent they weren’t simply messing around. At that point the officials stepped in and it was out of his hands.

Still, be it two girls or five (or even seven if the recent batch of rumors were to be believed), they’d always struck him as earnest and hardworking, if not a little clumsy. Oh, and loud; on more than one occasion he’d heard them bickering and conversing before he’d spotted them, and the leader had a habit of shrieking when she was scared (which was often and reminded him strongly of Present Mic). Despite that, he’d never heard of them backing down from a villain, and the public had only good things to say about them.

“They remind me of you,” he said, interrupting Midoriya, whose questions had evolved into Quirk theories.

“Me?!”

Toshinori nodded. “You share the same sincerity, the same willingness to rush forward even when you’re afraid. You’d probably get along well.”

Midoriya’s eyes watered. Oh no, he wasn’t going to cry again, was he? “All Might, I-”

“And, no, they can’t fly. Now, let’s go!” Toshinori sped up to hide his embarrassment. Midoriya’s displays of emotion were touching but he hadn’t quite figured out how to handle them yet. “The beach isn’t going to clean itself!”

“Yes, sir!”

* * *

It took a few days before Toshinori was able to meet Tsukauchi and get more information about what had happened.

“So how bad is it really?” he asked after they’d exchanged greetings and taken their seats.

“It could have been much worse.” Tsukauchi placed several photos on the room’s single table, and although they’d probably been enhanced they were still filled with static. He tapped one that showed four beams of light surrounding an enormous purple dome with what might have been a star-shaped opening at the peak. “This was growing pretty steadily but they managed to contain most of it.”

Toshinori flipped through the other images, each stamped confidential: closeups of ruined buildings, a black mass surrounded by the beginnings of a tornado that made him more uneasy the longer he stared at it, a shot of the crater left behind with notes mentioning its size and depth. He’d seen worse damage but still braced himself before asking, “And the death count? Injuries?”

“This is all preliminary, you understand, they’re still going through the rubble.” Tsukauchi paused to check that he understood and then continued, “Except for one of the younger students they’re having trouble tracking down, all the others are safe and accounted for. There were no serious injuries in the surrounding area, so they’re feeling cautiously optimistic in calling it zero.”

Toshinori sucked in a breath. “Incredible.”

Tsukauchi looked almost proud for a moment - as Toshinori’s main source of information about the Senshi, he knew more about them than most and had perhaps grown a little fond - but his expression quickly became serious. “Unfortunately, some are calling it suspiciously so.”

“People think they caused it?”

“No one is saying it outright, not officially, but an almost instantaneous response to such a large attack with no villain taking credit for it… It’s suspect but that’s not what worries me.” Tsukauchi hesitated before revealing a final photo. “More specifically, they’re saying _she_ caused it.”

Compared to the other photos, this one was almost startlingly clear. Sailor Moon stood in the center of it, cradling a bundle in her arms. Something glimmered brightly near the chest of her torn costume, and her long hair was disheveled, but it was the vacant expression on her face and her eyes staring blankly ahead that held his attention.

What was left of his stomach clenched; he recognized that look. He didn’t want to imagine what had caused it. “How so?”

“The troubles in Jūban are strange, everyone knows that, but they’re usually nowhere near this serious. The theory is that she’s attracting the villains responsible and if the current trend continues then the attacks will only get worse.” Tsukauchi sighed and leaned back in his chair. Toshinori doubted this was how he’d expected to spend his day off. “I don’t know everything - Jūban has only shared so much with us - and I don’t agree with them, but the fact that her first appearance coincided with the trouble starting doesn’t help her case.”

“So what do they plan to do about it?”

Tsukauchi shrugged. “That, I’m afraid I don’t know. It’s possible All Might can learn more, but since I’m telling you all this off the record, you’d have to be careful how you approached them.”

Toshinori kept his eyes on the photo. She couldn’t have been much older than Midoriya. “It’s unlike you to involve yourself in something like this.”

“We have a responsibility towards young Heroes, don’t we? And I’m sure we’re not the only ones to take notice of this; no matter how much it’s being downplayed, it can’t be covered up completely. If the wrong person tries to take advantage of it…” The name hung unspoken between them. “They’re trying to hide it but the higher-ups are nervous, and nervous people make rash decisions. I’m hoping you can convince them to do otherwise.”

“And here I thought you’d give me a challenge,” Toshinori said, and Tsukauchi smiled ruefully.

“I’ll owe you one.”

Figuring out how he was supposed to do this exactly proved something of a problem. The Hero Public Safety Commission was composed of non-Heroes only and he couldn’t simply barge in and begin talking about a subject he wasn’t supposed to know about. And what would he even say? Without knowing what they planned to do, or if they planned to do anything, he couldn’t argue for or against it. Perhaps, he hoped guiltily, it would all amount to nothing; this wasn’t the first time a conflict between Heroes and villains had caused widespread damage and it wouldn’t be the last, unfortunately.

The issue wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but that so many other things required his attention. The Entrance Exam loomed ahead, each day seeming to pass faster than the last, and on top of that he had an ever increasing amount of class notes to fit onto index cards, not to mention his own Hero work and medical appointments. Focused on all of this, with the media moving on from the event and no more information from Tsukauchi, he had to admit that it fell to the back of his mind. So it came as something of a surprise when the Commission General invited him - well, All Might - to a meeting.

“Thank you for joining us on such short notice,” he said when All Might arrived. He had a serious face and wore a dark suit that fit the mood of the room, somber despite the sunny view afforded to them by the wall of windows. “We’d like to get this figured out as quickly as possible.”

 _Ahh, the air’s so oppressive._ His smile firmly in place, All Might sat carefully on the chair that had been set aside for him. He’d slimmed down recently but it wouldn’t do to have it collapse under his weight. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m honored you think I can be of assistance, although I must admit I’m not sure what I'm being consulted about.”

“It concerns the Mugen Academy incident.”

“Of course. Zero casualties, I still can’t believe it!” Better to put that right out there and remind them of what good had been accomplished. “Has there been any headway in finding out who was behind it?”

Several of the men exchanged glances. The General’s permanent frown deepened. “Nothing concrete. We’d like to discuss the Heroes who responded, however.”

“The Sailor Senshi.”

Another man spoke up, plain-faced with a classic businessman haircut. “They’ve been given special permission to operate because their Quirks allow them to subdue Azabu-Jūban’s villains when ordinary methods fail, but the situation is starting to become troublesome. Unlike the rest of the country, the district’s crime rate has been increasing ever since they appeared.”

All Might nodded as he took in the information. “And you think the two facts are directly linked.”

“Despite what some have said, it’s obvious they’re not working together,” the General said, waving a hand to dismiss the suggestion. “We do, however, have to consider the possibility that these villains, who appear in no other part of the country, are drawn there for a reason. Specifically for their leader, though whether she possesses something they want or whether they simply want to get rid of her is unclear.”

“She’s connected to every major event in the area,” a third man pointed out. “Even the unexplained energy reported near the North Pole last year matched the readings associated with her.”

All Might remembered that. It had been swept under the rug, and the simultaneous blackouts and storms that accompanied it over Japan were explained away as a Hero training incident gone wrong.

“What we’d like,” the General said, “is your opinion on what we should do with her. While we prefer not to involve Heroes in our decision making process, it’s impossible to deny that your expertise provides you with a useful viewpoint.”

All Might crossed his arms and leaned back, resisting the urge to tap his fingers as he thought. They’d obviously made up their minds to see her as a problem that needed to be dealt with and not an ally to help. All he could do was hope to steer them away from a decision they’d regret. “She’s already a registered Hero, isn’t she? That means you have some level of influence over her.”

“She’s a minor, however, which limits things.” The General rubbed his temple. “Even giving her group licenses to do Hero work was a hassle. We had to rush it but it was either that or let those villains wither away in custody.”

“But you don’t know for sure that she’s the cause,” All Might said, “and there haven’t been any more incidents since then. The only way to be sure… Well, you’d have to move her and see if the problem followed.”

“Something we’ve considered,” a tall man said.

The man next to him shook his head. His tone gave the impression that they’d had this talk before and he didn’t appreciate having it again. “Would anything be accomplished by simply relocating the issue? Without figuring out why it’s happening, we wouldn’t have made any progress and would simply be putting different people in danger.”

“Except we have a secure option available to us.”

The way he said it raised the hair on the back of All Might’s neck. “You do? Where?”

The Commission General jumped in before he could respond. “There are several possibilities. As I said, she’s a minor so there’s the matter of her schooling and family, and of course the authorities in Jūban have to be contacted…”

All Might nodded, letting him trail off. “But if I’m to give my opinion, it would help to know where you’ve thought about moving her.”

A tense, painful silence filled the room. All Might let it stretch until someone couldn’t stand it and blurted out, “Tartarus.”

“Tartarus,” All Might repeated slowly. Impossible; sure he’d misheard, he waited for a correction but none came. A sudden ache in his jaw made him realize he was clenching his teeth and he forced himself to relax.

“It’s the most secure facility available to us,” the man continued, voice wavering under his gaze. “If she’s actually the source of these problems, and if they continue their trend of worsening, it would be the best place to contain her.”

Heroes were not contained - Villains were.

It took a conscious effort for All Might to keep his smile in place. “Surely we haven’t reached the point where we’re letting fear cloud our good judgement.”

“Of course not,” the General said. He glared at the other man. “Everyone has been pulling long hours, and some have said things they don’t mean. Nothing more.”

Toshinori didn’t believe him, and he shared his concerns with Principal Nezu during one of their meetings later in the week. Paperwork and tea had been set out on the table between them. “I couldn’t believe my ears.” Remembering it made righteous indignation burn in his chest, filling him with a restless energy that had no outlet. Worse, it made guilt creep up inside him. If he’d talked to them sooner would he have been able to keep their thoughts from ever going in such a direction?

“It’s certainly troubling.” Nezu kept his usual genteel expression; not much outwardly fazed him. “I must say, though, I understand some of their worries. I’ve been following the situation in Jūban for quite some time and there is an unsettling trend. She’s no villain, however, and treating her as such would only hurt relations between Heroes and the public, among other things.”

“Exactly!” Toshinori loosened the tight grip he’d taken on his teacup. Villains he could handle but this made him feel out of his element. Here, One for All was useless. “I’m sure there’s something I can do but I’m at a loss.”

Nezu regarded him for several long moments. Toshinori tried not to fidget, feeling like a student called on by a teacher all over again. “Are you sure you want to get involved? You’ve already taken someone under your wing.”

Being reminded of Midoriya made Toshinori sit up straight and replaced the burning in his chest with warm pride. Seeing him pass the Entrance Exam surely would go down as one of the highlights of his life. Ah, if only he’d gotten to see his reaction to the results in person! “That may be so but I can’t simply turn a blind eye to this. It goes against everything I believe in.”

“Then perhaps I’ll be able to do something,” Nezu said airily. He took a sip of tea, as casual as if they were simply discussing the weather. “Assuming you don’t mind me sticking my nose in, that is.”

The tension leaked out of Toshinori’s shoulders. “It would be a relief. I trust your judgement completely.”

Having said that, and later realizing he’d given what amounted to a blank check of permission, Toshinori shouldn’t have been so surprised when he received a call from the Commission General the next day. During it, the General gravely thanked him for undertaking the serious responsibility of supervising Sailor Moon on such short notice, threw in a few mentions of what a great service he was doing for the country, and stressed the importance of maintaining order. Toshinori nodded along and made the appropriate sounds of agreement, careful not to give away the fact that he had no idea what he was going on about.

He carried this confusion with him all the way back to Nezu’s office, where the Principal took one look at his face and said, “Oh good, I suppose they’ve contacted you then?”

Toshinori sagged into one of the available chairs. “I can’t do this! I have young Midoriya to look after, you said so yourself! That’s not even counting-”

“It’s not what you think,” Nezu interrupted gently. “I won’t add to your growing list of responsibilities. Your part in this is merely a formality. I had to assure them that nowhere would be more secure than directly under the eye of the Symbol of Peace himself, and with so little time to work I’m afraid I couldn’t consult you first. In reality, she’ll be nothing more than another one of your students.”

Toshinori wanted to protest. Just another student? No - a Hero who was at the center of a HPSC conflict wouldn’t be able to be just another student, no matter what any of them wanted. What if they were right and this put the entire school in danger? Even as a formality, it was one more thing to juggle on top of Midoriya, and All for One, and his classes - he still had so many lesson plans to write!

But…

Nezu was a genius; he’d undoubtedly considered more pros and cons in the last day than Toshinori could all year. He wouldn’t make a decision like this lightly, especially not when their students were involved.

And Toshinori still trusted him.

So he swallowed his arguments and settled with, “This will cause problems.”

“It will,” Nezu agreed in that cheerful manner of his, “but the other options were disastrous. Given the sliver of influence we had over this decision, it’s the best outcome we could hope to reach. And, of course, I can’t deny having a personal interest in our new student as well.”

It would have to work. No, he corrected himself, it would work! With this, they would mollify the Commission while ensuring this young girl could continue her education as a student rather than being treated as a potential threat. He’d already pledged to protect everyone he could, he couldn’t allow his worries to compromise that. And where else was as safe as U.A.?

It was a good plan.

And then, as if to remind him of the foolishness of planning and mock the idea of the school’s safety, the League of Villains attacked the USJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, the heavy lifting is out of the way!
> 
> Sailor Moon has some great season finales and episodes 124 &125 of the 90s anime are _so good_ that I couldn't resist wanting to build something off of them. And what better than My Hero Academia, which is full of cute boys and cute girls and excitement?! (*・ω・)ﾉ


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, Usagi focused on an important task of her own: namely, getting ready for school.

“Are you ready? Because here comes U.A.’s beautiful new student, Usagi-chan!”

She jumped into view of her new phone’s camera, only to have her dramatic reveal ruined when her foot caught on one of the moving boxes littering her floor. Windmilling her arms, she barely managed to maintain her balance. Once she recovered, though, and struck her pose, her friends made the appropriate sounds of admiration and applauded approvingly. She grinned; after everything surrounding her family’s rushed move from Jūban, it felt nice to do something normal again.

“It’s chic,” Minako said, leaning forward until she filled her corner of the screen. They were in the middle of a video chat, a handy feature they’d only been able to set up thanks to Ami’s seemingly endless patience and genius knowhow (this being her first phone, Usagi hadn’t figured out much besides how to use the camera and make calls). Artemis mumbled something and Minako waved a hand irritably. “Of course it matters! You don’t know a girl’s heart at all - looking cute makes you feel confident, and you can’t underestimate that!”

Makoto nodded. “Your tie’s crooked, though.”

“Again? I’ve already fixed it twice.” Ties were impossible, Usagi decided as she gave it an annoyed tug. Maybe she could sneak it off later and no one would notice?

“I told you that you should have practiced more,” Luna said from where she sat on the dresser. Easy for her to say — cats got to lounge around and get pets instead of worrying about clothes.

“But they made it look so easy in the video!”

“Which you only watched once before turning on cartoons.”

In Usagi’s defense, it had been a very boring video.

“Either way, I think you look quite mature, Usagi-chan,” Ami said. Despite the fact that she was still eating breakfast, her reading glasses were perched on her nose and several textbooks were laid out in front of her. Usagi would never understand how she did it; just the thought of studying so early gave her a stomachache.

“Just goes to show that appearances can be deceiving,” Rei said. Usagi stuck her tongue out. “Way to prove my point, dumpling head.”

“The skirt is so short,” Minako said. “Our uniforms are pretty classic but maybe it’s time we got a makeover, too. We could go super modern!”

“Isn’t it cute?” Usagi asked, giving up her tie as a lost cause and admiring herself in the mirror. Most of her belongings were still shoved in boxes that she hadn’t gotten a chance to unpack yet but she’d made sure her vanity, along with other essentials like her precious manga and stuffed animals, had been put out. True, her new skirt couldn’t twirl as nicely as her old one but it made her legs look super long and she even had a fancy blazer!

“Careful, Usagi-chan,” Makoto teased. “It's starting to sound like you’re over Jūban High already.”

“What?! No, no!” Usagi shook her head hard, and Luna squawked as an errant pigtail smacked her. “Jūban’s uniform is still the best! I was really looking forward to finally wearing the same uniform as you and Minako-chan, and studying with Ami-chan, and even having Rei-chan nag me about eating too many snacks!”

“I’m joking,” Makoto said gently while Rei sputtered and argued that she most certainly did not nag (and if she did then it was only because Usagi deserved it). “It’s good that you’re happy about something. After all, you can’t spend your first day at U.A. crying, can you?”

“No, I guess not.” She’d cried plenty when she’d found out they’d have to move, and she didn’t want to exhaust herself doing it again.

“Usagi-chan in U.A., I still can’t believe it.” Minako rested her chin on her palm. “It’s pretty much the most elite Hero school out there, and supposedly, it’s super hard to get into.”

Coming from someone else, that might have been offensive but Minako was her low test score partner. Pointing out Usagi’s shortcomings was as good as admitting her own, and Usagi knew that U.A. was so far beyond her grasp that she’d never even considered applying.

“It is hard to wrap my head around,” Makoto agreed. The school had finally gotten her a proper fitting uniform and Usagi noticed with a pang how well she matched Ami and Minako. “All the top Heroes graduated from there, didn’t they? Actually, Ami-chan, I’m a little surprised you didn’t go there.”

“U.A. was tempting,” Ami said, “but Mother’s job at the hospital is too important for her to relocate, and I’m afraid I’d have been too lonely living on my own simply to attend the school. Not to mention how heavily the curriculum leans towards Hero work and since I’m aiming to be a doctor, well, I just don’t think it’d be the right fit for me.”

“Or for any of us,” Rei said, frowning. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

Everyone went quiet. Usagi twisted her fingers together nervously. “Rei-chan…”

“I know, I know, I’m just repeating myself but all of this rubs me the wrong way.” Rei crossed her arms and took a deep breath. “The Commission goes on and on about how they’ve got your best interests in mind, how you’ll be so safe there, and then what happens? Nearly a hundred villains attack one of their classes right before you transfer in!”

“It is...unfortunate,” Ami said delicately, “but U.A.’s track record is otherwise very good. I’ve looked into their security measures and they’re quite advanced.”

“Plus, those guys were a bunch of idiots,” Minako said with a dismissive flip of her hair. “They went after All Might of all people — All Might! Even if they didn’t have a stupid name — really, who calls themselves the League of Villains and expects to be taken seriously — that alone should tell you they didn’t think things through.”

“Or it means they had some trick and were confident they could take him down,” Rei countered. “And didn’t the media manage to get onto the school grounds before that? That’s supposed to be impossible.”

“It’s not like Jūban Middle didn’t have its fair share of accidents.”

“That’s besides the point, I—”

“Rei-chan.” The sharpness of Minako’s tone made Usagi jump. It was easy to forget, with Minako’s bubbly personality, that she had been a Senshi longer than any of them and was the leader of Usagi’s guardians for a reason. “That’s enough, we’ve been over this. They made the decision and no matter how unhappy we are about it, we can’t change it.”

Rei turned away, her lips pressed tightly together, but didn’t press further.

While Usagi racked her brain for something to clear the awkwardness, Luna cleared her throat. “Usagi-chan, you should hurry or you’ll be late.”

“Right!” Makoto said, and if she sounded too enthusiastic no one could blame her. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Ah, yes!” Usagi showed off her backpack, which was super cute and proudly sported several adorable buttons, courtesy of Minako. “I’ve got all the snacks you sent me!”

Makoto laughed. “That’s not quite what I meant.”

“But of course that’s the first thing she’d think of,” Rei said, visibly pushing her irritation away. In a much milder tone, she asked, “Do you have the ofuda I gave you?”

“Yeah but…” Usagi flipped her bag over. Talisman after talisman fell out until she had an impressive pile at her feet. “Are you sure you didn’t go overboard with these?”

Even Rei looked embarrassed at the amount. “Better safe than sorry. What about those notebooks Ami-chan made you?”

“Yup, got those too!” School supplies weren’t exactly what she’d call fun gifts but they were certainly Ami-type gifts, and Usagi had accepted them just as gladly as she had everything else.

“Excellent!” Ami clasped her hand together and spoke quickly, more excited than she’d been all morning. “I’ve looked over U.A.’s curriculum for the past several years and gotten hold of some study materials used by previous students, which I’ve used to design what should be the most efficient layouts for you. Of course, I’ll have to fine-tune them as they’re actually put into use but this should give you a good starting point. Even if you find that there’s something you don’t understand, write it down so we can review it later.”

Makoto raised her eyebrows. “Oh wow, you put a lot of thought into those.”

“I think I get it.” Minako wagged a finger, looking sly. “You’re just using Usagi-chan to get the coursework for yourself, aren’t you? Sneaky, sneaky!”

Light glinted ominously off of Ami’s lenses as she pushed her glasses up her nose. The prospect of learning always brought out a focused, slightly scary side of her. “Usagi-chan going to U.A. gives us access to some of the best education, Hero and otherwise, in Japan, if not the world. Passing up this chance to incorporate it into our own studies when it’s so close at hand would be foolish.”

“‘Our studies’?” Minako’s smile slipped. “Wait, you’re not making us study all that too, are you?!”

Usagi winced in sympathy.

“The time,” Luna said again.

“Right, I’m going!” After a quick round of goodbyes — and a final reminder from Makoto and Minako to report back on any cute boys she happened across — Usagi hung up and repacked her bag. Well, maybe ‘packed’ wasn’t the right word. She definitely shoved everything back in, though. Ofuda still worked even if they were wrinkled, right? Her brooch went safely into her pocket; she hadn’t transformed since the encounter with Pharaoh 90 but there was no telling when she would need it, and its heavy weight was comforting.

Downstairs, her mother waited at the door with the bento she’d insisted on making, despite having heard the reputation of U.A.’s lunchroom. Shingo loitered nearby; much to Usagi’s annoyance, his school was close enough that he could waste time before getting ready.

Unlike her room, the rest of the house was practically spotless. Their new (and hopefully temporary) house was more modern than their last one, but her mother had wasted no time in getting it in order. Where she could, she’d laid things about as they’d been before, and pictures already hung on the walls, including one with her ‘cousin’ Chibi-Usa, who had safely returned to the future.

“Oh, goodness!” Ikuko pressed a hand to her mouth and took a deep breath before straightening Usagi’s tie. “You look so grown up.”

“Never thought I’d see you wearing U.A.’s uniform.” Shingo made a face. Usagi had held out the faint hope that finding out his sister was one of his favorite Heroes would make him show her some more respect but if anything he’d just become more annoying. Like now, as he pulled down his eyelid and said, “Make sure you don’t do anything stupid and embarrass yourself in front of All Might.”

“Didn’t you want me to get his autograph for you?” Usagi put her hands on her hips, trying to take advantage of the fact that she was still a little taller than him. “You better be nice to me or I might change my mind and tell him what a dork you are instead.”

“If you do, I’ll throw away your snacks!”

“That’s enough, you two.” Ikuko pinched their cheeks hard. “Now, Usagi, do you have your phone?”

Usagi rubbed her face. “Yes, Mama.”

“Good, make sure you don’t lose it.” Her parents had been reluctant to get her one at all, relenting only when it became apparent it was necessary, but Usagi was proud to say that she’d only dropped it once. Or twice. “And you know which train to take? You remember you’re supposed to go straight to the teacher’s office when you get there?”

“Yes, Mama,” Usagi repeated, puffing her cheeks out. “I’m not a baby.”

“I know.” For a moment she sounded wistful and then she turned to Luna, who had taken her customary spot on Usagi’s shoulder. “Luna, you’ll take care of her, won’t you?”

“You have nothing to worry about, I’ll keep her out of trouble.” Months ago, Luna speaking in front of her family would have been unthinkable but once the Commission had gotten involved keeping her identity as Sailor Moon had become impossible. Now, they barely blinked when Luna weighed in on a conversation or greeted them in the morning. Well, her father still jumped, true, but her mother took it in stride and Shingo considered her cooler than ever. As far as they knew, she was one of the few animals with a Quirk and Luna hadn’t bothered to correct them.

“All right then.” Ikuko kissed her forehead and pressed the bento box into her hands. “Have a good day, Usagi.”

The neighborhood they’d moved into was quiet and not far from the train station that Usagi would have to use to reach school. It was an odd change; for as far back as she could remember, Usagi had been able to walk to school (and run when she was late), accompanied at least part of the way by her friends. Now, she didn’t see a single other student wearing her uniform, and she was incredibly grateful that Luna was there to keep her from being lonely. At least it was such a straightforward walk to the station that even she couldn’t get lost.

That didn’t mean another problem didn’t pop up, though.

“Luna,” she whispered, squinting at the train station map she’d been examining in hopes that it would suddenly make sense, “I don’t remember which train to take.”

“What do you mean—!” Luna cut herself off with a strangled meow as a couple passed. It was one thing for her family to know about her but even in a world full of Quirks a talking cat would draw unwanted attention. She rubbed her head against Usagi’s, which would have been sweet if it wasn’t just an excuse to hiss in her ear. “What do you mean you don’t remember? Didn’t you write it down?”

“Oh, right, I did!” Relieved, Usagi reached into her bag and pulled out her—

Huh?

No, that couldn’t be right. She reached into her bag and pulled out—

Oh no.

“Usagi-chan.” Luna’s claws dug into her shoulder. Usagi broke out into a cold sweat.

“I know I had it,” Usagi muttered, digging deeper. “I wrote it down yesterday when I was packing then I put it in here, and I know I saw it when I dumped everything out…” She froze. “Oh no, it’s on my floor.”

“If you’d cleaned your room like I told you, you would have noticed it!”

“I’ve been busy!”

“You’ve been slacking!” While Luna whispered a lecture into her ear, Usagi bit her knuckles and fought back a wave of panic. What was she supposed to do? There wasn’t enough time to go home and find the paper, and if she called her mom then that would go directly against what she’d said earlier about being mature. Shingo would just make fun of her so he was out of the question entirely, and calling her dad at work would be a disaster. Maybe she could guess? But then she might end up in a part of the city she didn’t know and some ugly mugger who picked on cute, defenseless girls would go after her hard-earned lunch money—

“Um, excuse me?”

Usagi threw her arms up and shrieked. “I don’t have any money, please don’t rob me!”

Her would-be assailant threw up his arms too. “No, no, I’m not—!” He swiveled his head frantically as several people turned to look at them. “I’m not doing anything wrong, I promise!”

“Are you sure?” Unconvinced, Usagi took a step back. He certainly didn’t look like a mugger, not with that fluffy hair and those big eyes, but what if being cute was just a way of getting her to lower her guard? “Because that’s exactly what a robber would say!”

He blinked several times, brow furrowing. “Yes? I mean, yes! It’s just… You seemed kind of lost and we’re wearing the same uniform, so I thought maybe you needed some help?” Now that he mentioned it, he was wearing what she recognized as the male version of U.A.’s uniform.

“Really?!” All thoughts of muggers flying out of her head, Usagi closed the distance between them and snatched his hands up. “This is great, you showed up just in time! I thought I was gonna end up lost forever or, even worse, have to call my stupid little brother for help, but now that you’re here I don’t have to worry about either of those things. You’re the best, um…?”

Face red, he stared at their hands wide-eyed. “M-Midoriya Izuku.”

“Izuku-kun,” she repeated, smiling. He even had freckles, how adorable! Wait until she told Minako and Makoto about him (leaving out the whole getting lost part, of course). “I’m Tsukino Usagi.”

“T-tsukino-san,” he asked, voice cracking, “my hands?”

“Hmm? Oh, right, sorry!” Embarrassed, she dropped them.

“No, it’s fine, I’m just not used to——I mean, holding hands is a little… You didn’t know the train number, right?” Looking like steam was going to pour out of his ears, he pointed at the station map and launched into an explanation about which train they were supposed to take.

Usagi sighed in relief. She really would have gotten lost without him. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he mumbled, but he seemed flattered. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, were you just talking to your cat?”

Luna tensed but Usagi had dealt with this question enough not to panic. Instead, she gave an exaggerated laugh and waved her hands. “Talking to my cat? No, of course not, how ridiculous! I mean, of course I talk to her, everyone talks to their pets, but I never expect her to answer back. Isn’t that right, Luna? Except, obviously you can’t answer because you can’t talk!”

“Oh.” His disappointment didn’t last long. “One of my classmates can talk to animals so I thought maybe you could, too. It’d be interesting, don’t you think? People underestimate it and focus on flashier Quirks but animals probably notice all sorts of things we don’t. You could use them to gather information or deliver messages, although there’s probably a limit to how well they’d follow directions, assuming they understood them the same way we did and then there’s the question if they measure time the same way…”

Usagi stared at him in amusement as he blushed and trailed off.

“That sounds neat,” she said, leaning in conspicuously to add in a stage whisper, “but between you and me, I’m sure Luna would just scold me about my homework.”

Luna’s tail ‘accidentally’ hit her face.

He laughed. “She must be pretty smart; it’s almost like she understood you. You know, I would have thought I’d notice another U.A. student right away but I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Oh, I just moved here,” Usagi said, scratching Luna behind the ear. “I haven’t even gotten a chance to finish unpacking yet!”

“Did you move to be closer to U.A.? I heard some students end up doing that when they get accepted. But,” he added with a frown, “doing it so soon after the start of school must be hard. Are you in the Support Department? Or maybe the General Education classes? Oh, you might not even be a first year, sorry!”

Before Usagi could respond, a chime sounded and an automated voice announced the arrival of the next train. Around them, people began to queue up.

“This is us,” Izuku said. “Careful, it can get a little crowded.”

Crowded was a good word for it; Usagi immediately decided she preferred walking to school. With Luna hidden in her bag and it held close to her chest, she wiggled past businessmen and office workers as she followed Izuku, who apologized every time he jostled someone. Finally, she claimed a spot between him and the wall, sagging against it in exhaustion. “Is it like this every day?”

“More or less,” Izuku said, blushing again and avoiding her eyes. Even with her bag between them, they were close enough that Usagi had to look up, and seeing him so nervous made her self-conscious. She pressed herself harder against the wall and hoped the extra space would help.

“How annoying,” she said. “I’m glad I have a friend to make it more bearable!”

For some reason, that surprised Izuku so much he actually met her eyes. At a moment, the tension left his shoulders and he smiled back at her. “Me too.”

* * *

Toshinori very deliberately did not look at the clock.

He focused on the computer screen in front of him instead, adjusting his notes about various students’ performances in the last Hero lesson. Every step outside the door of the teacher’s office broke his concentration and made him jump, though.

Surely young Tsukino should have been here by now. He’d been told she’d come to see him once she arrived but classes were due to start soon and there had been no sign of her. Logically, he knew that alone didn’t mean anything. She would hardly be the first student to run late, and there was always the possibility that she’d simply forgotten. Inconvenient but not alarming.

But if something _had_ gone wrong…

The Public Safety Commission’s worries could have come true. Perhaps, despite their efforts at secrecy, someone had gotten wind of her moving and decided this was the perfect time to go after her. They presumed that Shigaraki was still recovering from his wounds and there had been no hints that the League of Villains even knew about her, but they weren’t the only criminal group out there.

Even worse: what if the Commission decided the USJ attack warranted going ahead with their original plan without informing him? They claimed ignorance about the events surrounding her but they had a history of keeping information close to their chest. In fact, it had been Principal Nezu who’d reminded him of that.

_“I’m sure it’s a mere oversight on their part not to mention this,” Nezu had said, handing him a folder, “but these are her public records, a recent copy and one from last year. I’m sure you’ll find them as interesting as I did. After all, we’ve seen something like this firsthand, haven’t we?”_

A cold chill passed over him. He shouldn’t be sitting here. He should have gone to meet her as he’d originally planned instead of just assuming everything would go smoothly. Would there be enough time, though, with his time limit once again shortened so severely? Maybe if—

“I don’t think that boy’s name has so many letters in it, All Might.”

“Gah!” Toshinori jerked upright, biting his tongue in shock. Midnight, who had leaned over his shoulder unnoticed, hurried to grab a tissue for him.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, don’t worry about me. Sorry, I was a little distracted.” Ah, he’d been holding down a key on the keyboard. He erased the extra letters from his notes and dabbed at his mouth with the tissue. No blood, thankfully, but now his tongue ached.

She hummed understandingly. “Are you worried about the students after the attack?”

“No, no, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” He smiled to himself when he remembered what a good defense they’d put up against the villains. “It’s just, our new student…”

“Oh, that’s right. Nezu’s mysterious transfer student shows up today, doesn’t she?” Midnight smiled as though she’d caught sight of something delicious. “I have to admit, I’m not entirely sure why he’s going ahead with this but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see what the fuss is about.”

“We’ve got to keep it on the downlow,” Present Mic said, spinning in his chair to face them. “If some parent whose kid didn’t get in hears about this, ahhhh..! I don’t want to even imagine the headache they’ll cause.”

“Another upset we don’t need,” Aizawa said. The bandages wrapped around his face muffled his voice but his usual bland tone was clear. “If I get an angry phone call, I’m passing it off.”

Present Mic wagged a finger. “A teacher should be more responsible!”

“Then I trust you won’t mind showing me how it’s done.”

Someone knocked on the office door. Aizawa waited until Toshinori activated his Quirk before opening the door, somehow managing it despite his hands being even more bandaged than his face.

“Excuse me, I——” The girl stopped and screamed. Instantly alert for danger, All Might and the others leapt up but the next words out of her mouth were more startled than scared. “It’s a mummy!”

Present Mic burst out laughing and fell back into his chair. “Did you hear that, Mummy Man, you’re scaring the students even more than usual!”

Aizawa ignored him and focused on the newcomer. “Did you need something?”

“I’m supposed to meet All Might?” Her made it sound more like a question than an answer.

_Thank goodness!_ Relief washed over All Might, and he stood behind Aizawa almost before she had finished speaking. “Then you’ve come to the right place because I am here, as expected! Greetings, young Tsukino.”

“Oh?” Aizawa tilted his head and examined her with new interest. “Then that makes you the transfer student.”

“Yes.” Tsukino bowed and introduced herself. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Out of her Hero costume, Tsukino Usagi looked remarkably like any other high school student, standing out at a glance mainly because of the length and style of her hair. All Might was surprised to realize he’d expect her to be taller. True, with One for All activated he tended to tower over almost everyone, and it wasn’t as though he’d measured her the few times they’d met, but his last impression of her had been so strong that this stood out to him.

“I was beginning to worry,” he said, pushing the feeling away. He kept his tone playful and mentally scolded himself for nearly making a rash decision. Too much was at stake now for him to not think his decisions through. “I thought perhaps you’d gotten yourself lost and we’d have a rescue mission on our hands.”

“Well, actually…” Tsukino trailed off sheepishly and hurried to add, “But I made it!”

“So you did.” Aware that everyone could hear them, he chose his words carefully. “I’m afraid there’s not enough time for me to give you the sort of Plus Ultra welcome I’d like, however. I assume you’ll be free after classes this afternoon? Yes? Excellent! I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Aizawa-sensei then — he’ll be your homeroom teacher.”

Tsukino looked like she regretted that mummy comment now.

“Follow me,” Aizawa said and left without looking to see if she’d follow.

Midnight joined him to watch the duo make their way down the hallway. Several male students gave her admiring glances but she ignored them with practiced ease. “She’s cute, but she doesn’t exactly strike me as the type to get in on a recommendation. Just what exactly is Nezu thinking?”

All Might didn’t answer. Instead, he thought back to what he’d read in those public records: that only recently had the Quirk description been added. Before that, Tsukino Usagi had been marked as Quirkless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a millions years, didn't it? (╥_╥) I have no excuse. Pls accept this humble chapter


End file.
